US Prez nominee Obama arrives in Kabul

Kabul, Jul 19: US presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has arrived in Afghanistan, at the start of a high-profile international tour.

Obama, who flew into Kabul as part of a US congressional team, is expected to meet Afghan President Hamid Karzai. He is later expected to visit Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Germany, France and Britain. During his tour abroad, Obama is hoping to address security issues, seen as the weakest aspect of his presidential bid. Opinion polls suggest Americans regard Republican John McCain as a better potential commander-in-chief. In a speech delivered earlier this week, Obama said that the US military should focus on Afghanistan rather than Iraq.

Asked what message he would convey to the Afghan and Iraqi leaders, Obama said: "I'm more interested in listening than doing a lot of talking."

Speaking to reporters before leaving, he added: "I'm going over there as a US senator. We have one president at a time, so it's the president's job to deliver those message".

Obama also said he would talk to commanders both in Afghanistan and Iraq to find out about their concerns.